Mystery of skull found on scrubland

A SKULL has sparked a police investigation after it was found down an embankment in Collyhurst. Amateur photographer Gary Law and a group of friends found it on scrubland next to Sandhill's Park, off Rochdale Road.

A SKULL has sparked a police investigation after it was found down an embankment in Collyhurst.

Amateur photographer Gary Law and a group of friends found it on scrubland next to Sandhill's Park, off Rochdale Road.

Horrifying

Gary, 20, has spoken for the first time about the horrifying moment they realised they had stumbled upon human remains.

He says they were questioned for several hours by police after they reported it.

Bones

Detectives say the skull and other bones found at the scene may have been there for months. But they are yet to identify the dead person and it is believed the remains could have been there for longer.

Gary said: "I'd just got to the bottom of the embankment on my way to photograph a stream.

"One of my friends rang my mobile and told me to come back up - they said they had found a skull.

'Jeans'

"We didn't know if it was real at first. Then we saw a pair of jeans and a coat or a jumper nearby."

Gary, an IT administrator, from Walkden, says he and his friends feared their discovery was not going to be treated seriously by the police.

Patrol

But he was then picked up at home by a patrol car and taken back to the scene.

The bones belong to a man in his mid 20s to mid 60s, between 5ft and 6ft.

Detectives say there was nothing to suggest a crime had been committed.